Covering Wal-Mart in DC, Media Don’t Question Claims of ‘Worker Advocates’ Who Will Kill Jobs

For the past several weeks, Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has been playing defense in the news media against “advocates for workers” who favor a “living wage bill.” That’s partly the result of shrewd marketing on the part of lawmakers who favor the legislation – who doesn’t favor a “living wage?” But it’s also because reporters do not typically question self-described “worker advocates” about the economic realities attached to a higher minimum wage.

When the government mandates a higher wage beyond what employers can afford to pay for unskilled labor, the result is higher unemployment. In other words, if the self-proclaimed “advocates” of the working class had there way, the number of people with jobs would be smaller.

After Mayor Gray vetoed a so-called “living wage” bill in September, the Washington Post ran a series of reports that call out for additional investigation.  The proposed legislation -- officially titled the “Large Retailer Accountability Act” -- would have directed retailers with sales of at least $1 billion to pay employees a minimum of $12.50 an hour in combined wages and benefits up from the current minimum wage of $8.25 an hour. Union officials have a vested interest in the bill since it includes an exception for employers who collectively bargain with their workers. To its credit, the Washington Post makes it clear in a Sept. 12 report that the bill would put Wal-Mart at a disadvantage.

“The union exemption and square-footage requirement rankled Wal-Mart officials, who said those provisions created an uneven playing field — particularly with the unionized grocery chains they plan to compete with in the city,” the report says. But that’s not the full story. Contrary to what D.C. council members have been telling members of the press, the proposed “living wage” would result in fewer opportunities for the newest and most needy members of the workforce. Yet, the Washington Post claims the “bill would raise the annual earnings of a full-time employee making the lowest legal wage from about $17,000 to $26,000.”  That’s assuming they are hired in the first place and that’s assuming employers are willing to pay that wage.

If readers were better acquainted with what recent studies said about laws that raise the minimum wage, the political class would have a lot more to answer for in the press. Just last year, the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity published a reporton teenage unemployment that deserves more attention.

By increasing the minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.40 in 2005, Rhode Island policymakers cost the state’s teens 397 jobs in 2011, the study concluded. Out of that total, the study also said 306 were lost to those without high school diplomas.

Via: Newsbusters

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DC Mayor Blames Sequester For Navy Yard Deaths

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray (D) on Tuesday suggested that the cuts made by sequestration may have hampered the response to the shootings at the city's Navy Yard on Monday.

"It's hard to know (what could have prevented it)," Gray said on CNN. "We're continuing this investigation. But certainly, as I look at for example sequestration, which is about saving money in the federal government being spent, that we somehow skimped on what would be available for projects like this, and then we put people at risk. Obviously 12 people have paid the ultimate price for whatever -- you know, whatever was done to have this man on the base."

Officials say 12 people were killed, as was the shooter, who has been named as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis.

Gray said the the Navy Yard is a very secure military installation and that Alexis, who reports indicate has been arrested and has a history of mental illness, shouldn't have been allowed access.

"It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could conceivably get clearance, could get credentials, to be able to get on the base," Gray said. "I just met with the commandant of the Washington Navy Yard last week. We were talking about the security and we know this is one of the most secure facilities in the nation. So how this could happen is beyond belief."

Via: Washington Post
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12 Victims Killed, 8 Wounded in Shooting at D.C. Navy Yard, Suspected Gunman Killed

A gunman killed 12 people and injured eight inside a heavily secured building at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard Monday, in one of the worst mass shootings ever at a U.S. military facility, and one of the deadliest single events ever in the nation's capital.

The suspected gunman, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas, was also killed. Alexis had served as a Petty Officer in the Navy between 2007 and 2011, and had beenpreviously arrested in gun-related incidents. 

Those killed ranged in age from 46 to 73, according to D.C. Police. Officials released the following victims' names Monday night:

• Michael Arnold, 59
• Sylvia Frasier, 53
• Kathy Gaarde, 62
• John Roger Johnson, 73
• Frank Kohler, 50
• Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46
• Vishnu Pandit, 61

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray reported late Monday eight individuals were injured, including a D.C. police officer, identified as Scott Williams, who was shot in the leg while responding to the shooting. After being in surgery for hours, doctors say they hope he will be able to walk again.

None of the fatalities is reported to be military personnel. The rest of the injured individuals suffered non-life threatening injuries and are expected to recover.

Via: NBC Washington

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At least 12 dead in Navy Yard rampage; one shooter dead, hunt on for two more

Mayor Vincent Gray said at least 12 people were killed in the Navy Yard rampage as D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier revealed one shooter was killed at the scene and authorities are looking for two other men who may also have been involved in the attack.

Authorities have identified the dead shooter as a Navy employee whose work status had been changed earlier this year, a federal government official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.

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PHOTOS: Chaos amid shooting rampage at Washington Navy Yard

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While that may suggest the motive was job related, authorities haven’t ruled out anything, including terrorism, the official said.

A senior federal law enforcement official said authorities were investigating whether the main shooter, a black male, was motivated by a dispute with employees at the Navy Yard.

Authorities were still clearing the building early Monday afternoon but expected the death toll could reach as high as eight people, including the shooter, said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The two at large suspects were dressed in military garb but are not believed to be U.S. service personnel, Lanier said.

One was a young white man in a khaki like uniform and the other was a black man in his 50s with a long rifle in an olive colored garb, she said.

Lanier said there were multiple fatalities at the scene but exact numbers were not immediately.

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SEE ALSO: Obama briefed on Navy Yard rampage

A Navy spokesman said early Monday that four people were killed and eight wounded in shooting at the Washington Navy Yard — though the death toll is expected to climb.

Capt. Ed Buclatin, a spokesman at Naval Installations Command, which is based at the Navy Yard, tweeted:

#BREAKING: 4 killed and 8 injured. One shooter down #NavyYardShooting #Navy #CNICHQ

The Associated Press reported six people were dead, though it was unclear if that figure included the shooter. More than a dozen people were injured.

Multiple media reports said at least two attackers were involved in the rampage. 

Mayor Vincent Gray said officials are still working to determine the number of fatalities during a press conference at noon.

Buclatin said all the injuries occurred in the Building 197, which is home to the Naval Sea Systems Command.

Via: Washington Times

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DC MAYOR VETOES WAGE BILL AFFECTING WAL-MART

Mayor Vincent Gray vetoed a bill Thursday that would force Wal-Mart and other large retailers to pay their employees at least $12.50 an hour, calling it a "job killer" that would not advance the goal of a living wage for District of Columbia workers.

The bill put Washington at the center of a national debate on how far cities should go in trying to raise pay for low-wage workers _ and whether larger companies should be required to pay more. Supporters _ including unions, clergy and other labor advocates _ said Wal-Mart could afford the higher wages, while opponents said the bill unfairly singled out certain businesses and would have a chilling effect on economic development.

Wal-Mart fought the legislation vigorously, pledging not to build three of the six stores it has planned for the nation's capital if the bill became law. But Gray, a Democrat, said the bill would have a much larger impact than many people realized.

"The bill is a job-killer, because nearly every large retailer now considering opening a store in the district has indicated they would not come here or expand here if this bill becomes law," Gray said, citing Target, Home Depot, Wegmans and others.

The D.C. Council approved the bill in July on an 8-5 vote, one short of a veto-proof majority. It will consider overriding the veto on Tuesday.

Councilmember Vincent Orange, a lead sponsor of the bill, said Wal-Mart's threats had prevented the mayor from standing up for the working poor.

"Wal-Mart put a gun to the mayor's head, and the mayor capitulated," said Orange, a Democrat. "Wal-Mart and the mayor should be ashamed that they're going to provide poverty wages to people who get up every day and go to work."

Via: Breitbart

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